DS E-TENSE is the first car to be driven throughout the malls of Westfield London – with no one around

New DS 7 CROSSBACK has a dynamic cameo role

In a special celebratory film, DS has brought together four of its brightest brand assets – DS E-TENSE, DS Urban Store Westfield London, DS Virgin Racing driver Sam Bird plus a special cameo role with the soon-to-be-launched DS 7 CROSSBACK – the SUV from DS Automobiles.

DS Automobiles has teamed up with Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush – the location of its flagship DS Urban Store – to take late night shopping to new levels by being granted special permission to drive the high-performance electric GT Concept car – DS E-TENSE inside the premium facility. Westfield’s Brand Ventures team worked closely with DS Automobiles on the activation, granting special permission for Bird to drive the high-performance electric GT Concept car DS E-TENSE indoors after closing time.

Behind the wheel of the all-electric DS concept was DS Virgin Racing Formula E driver, Sam Bird, who drove DS E-TENSE around the inside of Westfield London at night, and in doing so marked the car’s dynamic debut in the UK, all recorded in a filming of his ‘lock-in’. The drive also marked the first time that a car had been driven throughout the malls of the prestigious retail destination, making it a real moment-in-time for DS Automobiles with DS E-TENSE. The silent-running, zero emissions, all-electric concept car was the perfect vehicle for Sam, whose day-job is racing the all-electric DSV race car, as he took DS E-TENSE for a secret spin past high street to high-end shops and sales outlets inside Westfield London.

Unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the head-turning DS E-TENSE unifies state-of-the-art technology and avant-garde design with its flowing lines and unique styling, the Concept evokes a desire to be driven.

DS E-TENSE represents the pinnacle of DS Automobiles know-how, the superior upholstery, exclusive metallic green ametrine body colour, and LED Vision headlamps that are jewel-like in design all perfectly reflect the avant-garde spirit and connection to the world of fashion that is synonymous with the DS brand. The daytime running lights accentuate the car’s expressive gaze, and inspired by the original, iconic DS from 1955, the indicators at the rear are integrated into the roof. Finally, setting the trend for future DS models, DS E-TENSE’s tail lights, which are equipped with full LED technology. Measuring 4.72m it produces 516Nm of torque, 402hp and zero emissions. DS E-TENSE delivers propulsion that is clean, silent, efficient and powerful.

Since 2015, DS Automobiles has developed a strong relationship with Westfield London. The luxury shopping centre, located in Shepherd’s Bush, homes over 300 retailers across fashion (High St to Luxury), leisure and entertainment, including more than 30 premium and luxury brands within The Village – an ever-evolving luxury space. It has become the perfect place destination for the very first DS Urban Store, a new digitally-enabled DS boutique concept.

DS Urban Store invites visitors to explore the lifestyle of the Parisian-born brand at one of London’s premium shopping destinations. Its purpose is to promote the brand to potential DS customers in a place where they regularly spend their leisure time. The avant-garde spirit of design, present in each DS model, aligns itself with some of the world’s most luxurious names in fashion that are situated in Westfield.

Paul Buttigieg, Westfield’s Director of Operations, says: “We like to go the extra mile for our partners to help them create innovative content to drive awareness and sales. Giving a leading racing driver the green light to take a spin inside one of our centres was a real first but having built such a positive relationship with DS Automobiles over the past few years we wanted to help them create a standout moment to mark the UK debut of the DS E-TENSE.”

Sam Bird who has entered his third season with DS Virgin Racing has secured five wins and nine podium positions, making him the third highest all-time Formula E points scorer, one of the few people to have driven the all-electric DS E-TENSE in locations like Paris and Monaco and now for the first time in the UK. Bird is a leading Formula E championship driver, having won the first-ever motor race in New York in July.

As well as the DS E-TENSE, Bird also got behind the wheel of the soon-to-be-launched, well-equipped and sumptuous DS 7 CROSSBACK, the SUV from DS Automobiles. The SUV combines the latest technological innovations such as, DS ACTIVE LED VISION, DS ACTIVE SCAN SUSPENSION and DS CONNECTED PILOT, with the brand’s Parisian know how introducing high levels of driving comfort and performance.